The
stories I have shared thus far have been of my school years and
childhood, but as you may have guessed, I eventually did grow up and
graduate high school. Soon after that most of my friends were off at
college, while I had begun my new and somewhat strange job as an ID
camera assembler. This had gone on for a few months as we headed into
fall.
Then, however, my parents had a treat for me. They were in Great
Britain and agreed to fly me out. It proved fun taking an international
flight by myself and nothing amazed me more than the fact they let a
scruffy eighteen year old through customs, without even checking my bag.
Damn, I should have brought something, I remember thinking. Maybe I
looked more innocent than I thought.
So there I was in London with my parents. I won’t go into all the fun
we had there, but of course we went to the Tower of London, where one of
my Walsh ancestor died while trying to escape from a tower using bed
linens. They had broken and he plunged to his death on the rocks below. A
funny moment did occur when I saw a sign that said, ‘stand next to the
giant’s armor.’ I stood there and it looked like it would have fit my
big frame perfectly and my mom has a hilarious picture of a little kid
looking up at me in awe. Piccadilly circus was next and I bought some
cool punky spikes and a few David Bowie cassettes.
Next, they asked me what I wanted to do and naturally that was going to
the Griffiths homeland of Wales and checking out the ancient castles.
So we threw in a David Bowie tape and rushed across the green British
countryside. This was great fun for me and I loved hiking around the
crumbling structures and exploring their secret rooms and passages. In
one old church, I found and small underground tunnel, which I followed
for a hundred feet until, it became too flooded for me to continue.
Finally we made it to Chepstow. We entered our bed and breakfast and
for a while I laid in my room reading Robert E Howard’s first novel in
the Conan stories, which fit in with my surroundings extremely well.
After a while, I got antsy. I was in a foreign town in the land of my
ancestors. I had to go and check out the scene. Besides the drinking age
here was only eighteen, something that I certainly could not enjoy in
the states.
So donning my jean jacket, I headed out into the chill night. Now if it
was today, I most likely would have headed to a pub, but for some
reason I avoided that, at least at first. Instead, I wondered around the
town, like a tall shadow watching people. I even hung out behind a
grocery store in the thin strip of woods. Yeah, I didn’t know what the
hell I was doing, I guess.
So after a while, I figured that maybe I should try to dare a bar. I
had never been in a pub before, let alone one in another country, so I
felt nervous. As I headed back into the dark wet streets, a light fog
spread over the town. Everything was oddly deserted and the fog grew
thicker. Surrounded by the ancient buildings, I felt like I had gone
back in time or entered some creepy horror movie, so naturally I thought
that was super cool.
Then I heard it. Clip, clop, clip clop. That the hell was that, I
wondered? Clip, clop, clip clop. It was growing closer. Clip, clop, clip
clop. I looked around; there was no one on the street. Clip, clop, clip
clop.
Then I saw it. Out of the mists coming strait at me was a wild-eyed
black horse. Clip, clop, clip clop, clip, clop, clip clop. I could see
the whites of his rolling eyes as it gazed at me. The blood froze in my
veins and I felt like I couldn’t move. As it drew nearer, the black
beast stared strait at me. It was only then that I saw that it had a
saddle on, but no rider.
What had happened to its rider?
Was this a ghost horse?
Had it killed it rider?
I took a step back and the thing passed slowly by, the echoing of its
hoofs fading into the distance. This was enough for me and I fled back
to my room. The next day we continued on our journey and my mother took
some great pictures of me at the castle. I also discovered that my
parents had brought me to Britain, in order to help convince me to start
college, which I promised I would do the upcoming year.
I however, never forgot that lonely night in the fog and sometimes
still wonder, what happened to the rider of the great black steed?
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